Counterpoint

Charlton Heston, Maximilian Schell and Leslie Nielsen star in this gripping drama that chronicles the splendor of classical music along with the brutality of the Second World War. The time is 1944, and a renowned symphony orchestra is touring the concert halls of Europe. In the middle of a performance, Hitler’s soldiers attack the city, capturing the musicians and their director, Lionel Evans (Heston). The group is imprisoned in a castle and escape immediate execution because the commanding officer, General Schiller (Schell), has a passion for music. He orders them to prepare a concert for his Nazi comrades, but Evans dreads what will happen when the recital is over. The incomparable Los Angeles Philharmonic performs works by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner and Schubert in this compelling and unusual story.